Clarence Avant, ‘Godfather of Black Music’ and benefactor of athletes and politicians, dies at 92
NEW YORK — Clarence Avant, the judicious manager, entrepreneur, facilitator and adviser who helped launch or guide the careers of Quincy Jones, Bill Withers and many others and came to be known as “The Godfather of Black Music,” has died. He was 92. Avant, inducted into the Rock & Roll...
Photos: Weather disrupts Outlaw Music Festival featuring Willie Nelson, John Fogerty at Star Lake
Willie Nelson just isn’t ready to stay home. Even after turning 90 earlier this year, the country music legend was “On the Road Again” Saturday as the Outlaw Music Festival visited the Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown. Unfortunately for fans in attendance, thunderstorms — rather than Nelson’s “Blue Skies”...
A half-century of hip-hop: Genre has evolved, branched out over the decades
Hip-hop has come a long way since DJ Kool Herc started isolating funk-record instrumental breaks to make Bronx dance parties even more danceable. Along the way, it traveled to all corners of America, mutating and evolving into the wide variety of sounds and artists we have today. Here are some...
Q&A: Kelsea Ballerini on her divorce EP and people throwing things at concerts
LOS ANGELES — Back in February, recording artist Kelsea Ballerini quietly released an EP of strikingly intimate and vulnerable songs about her recent divorce from Australian musician Morgan Evans, with no expectation of performing or promoting them in the way she would a traditional album. But after receiving an overwhelmingly...
Monroeville Jazz Festival marks 20th anniversary
Murmurations are groups of starlings that twist and turn while flying together in a giant flock. People watch in amazement, wondering how they don’t ever run into each other. That is what local musician Kenny Blake likens to jazz music. “They’re not thinking. They’re not acting. They’re just doing it...
Taylor Swift announces October release of ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ at Eras Tour show
LOS ANGELES — Taylor Swift closed the 2023 U.S. leg of her landmark Eras Tour at the Los Angeles SoFi Stadium in a big way by announcing the fourth edition of her re-recording project: “1989 (Taylor’s Version.)” After playing a few tracks from her “1989” era live, the pop star...
Gabby Barrett returns home for postgame concert at PNC ParkVideo
At 23, country singer Gabby Barrett is in her glory days. That’s the name of her latest single, which she’ll sing during a Friday concert in PNC Park, following the Pirates game against the Cincinnati Reds. The concert is included in all tickets for the game, which starts at 7:05...
Robbie Robertson, lead guitarist and songwriter of The Band, dies at 80Video
Robbie Robertson, The Band’s lead guitarist and songwriter who in such classics as “The Weight,” “Up on Cripple Creek” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” mined and helped reshape American music, has died at 80. Robertson died surrounded by family, a statement from his manager said. From their...
Singer and songwriter Sixto Rodriguez, subject of ‘Searching for Sugar Man’ documentary, dies at 81
DETROIT — Sixto Rodriguez, who lived in obscurity as his music career flamed out early in the U.S. only to find success in South Africa and a stardom he was unaware of, died Tuesday in Detroit. He was 81. Rodriguez’s legacy would take off back home after the singer and...
Taylor Swift fan duped on $1,400 ‘Eras’ tour tickets by StubHub seller: reports
Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” is causing quite a stir among fans, according to multiple media sources. But one particular fan is blowing the whistle after spending $1,400 on tour seats sold by StubHub, only to be told that the tickets didn’t exist, according to reports from NBC Los Angeles. The...
Mourners in Ireland pay their respects to singer Sinead O’Connor at funeral procession
LONDON — Throngs of fans lined the streets of Sinead O’Connor’s former hometown in Ireland to bid farewell to the gifted singer as her funeral procession passed by Tuesday following a private memorial service. A vintage VW camper van with rooftop speakers blasting Bob Marley’s song “Natural Mystic” led a...
Guitarist Clay Melton: ‘At our heart, we’re a rock ‘n’ roll band’Video
Guitarist Clay Melton is promising an eclectic set and a high-energy show when his band plays hits Pittsburgh later this week. “We’re a blend of a lot of roots styles, a lot of Texas blues, but really at our heart, we’re a rock ‘n’ roll band,” Melton said Monday afternoon...
Con Alma in Shadyside ends regular hours, to open for special music events
There will still be jazz music playing at Con Alma in Shadyside, just not on a regular basis. “We are unfortunately not going to be open regular hours,” said Aimee Marshall, one of the owners. “We will be open for special music events.” She didn’t want to elaborate more on...
Review: Neil Young caught in his 1970s prime with yet another ‘lost’ album, ‘Chrome Dreams’
“Chrome Dreams,” Neil Young (Reprise Records) Neil Young is captured in his mid-1970s prime with “Chrome Dreams,” yet another “lost” — or “unreleased” — album officially seeing the light of day as Young originally envisioned nearly half a century ago. Young, 77, has been delving into his vast archive in...
Queen Latifah, Chuck D and more rap legends on ‘Rapper’s Delight’ and early hip-hop influencesVideo
LOS ANGELES — Remember the first rap song you heard? Some of your favorite rappers and DJs certainly do. While hip-hop celebrates 50 years of life, The Associated Press asked some of the genre’s most popular artists to recall their first memory of hearing rap and how the moment resonated...
Review: Pink’s Summer Carnival tour reaches new heights at PNC Park
Pink may have made one of the grandest entrances in Pittsburgh concert history Saturday night at PNC Park. And then she raised the bar — literally — with how she closed out her latest show on the Summer Carnival Tour. The Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter bungeed down headfirst from behind a...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Aug. 4-6
It’s the first weekend of August. In addition to the Pink concert on Saturday at PNC Park on the North Shore, here are some fun ways to spend it. Art crawl The Lawrenceville Art Crawl is from 1 to 9 p.m. Saturday. This festival along Butler Street has indoor and...
Pink at PNC Park: What to know before you goVideo
What will Pink bring to her Saturday concert at PNC Park? If it’s anything like other stops on her Summer Carnival Tour, the crowd can expect acrobatics, gymnastics, dancing, dazzling costumes, motorized flamingos, confetti, fireworks and smoke cannons. And that’s in addition to her music — a high-energy mix of...
Keith Urban, Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn to be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
LOS ANGELES — Country superstar Keith Urban and Kix Brooks of powerhouse country duo Brooks & Dunn will be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame this year. The organization announced its newest inductees on Thursday. They also include Casey Beathard and David Lee Murphy, in the contemporary songwriter...
Cindystock brings 2 days of music and charity to North Hills
A special two day event will commemorate 20 years of Cindystock, the annual outdoor music festival at the Wexford home of founders Cindy and Ted Yates. At 6:30 p.m. Aug. 18, Cindystock favorite and veteran singer songwriter Dan Navarro will play a set of songs featured on numerous album covers...
Lawsuit by former dancers accuses Lizzo of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment
LOS ANGELES — Lizzo has been sued by three former dancers who accuse the Grammy winner of sexual harassment and allege the singer and her production company created a hostile work environment. The civil lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court claims Lizzo pressured the dancers to engage...
Taylor Swift gives $55M in big bonuses to Eras tour staffVideo
Pop star Taylor Swift recently shelled out more than $55 million in bonuses to her crew members on the heels of her sold-out Eras Tour, according to People magazine. From caterers to dancers, sound technicians to production staff, Swift gifted her tour employees hefty checks — including $100,000 “end of...
Danny Elfman is rocking out again at 70, and the Oscar-nominated composer credits covid, Trump
SAN DIEGO — Danny Elfman had at least two compelling reasons to return to the rock concert stage and to resume writing and recording rock songs after a three-decade hiatus. But neither had anything to do with his former band, Oingo Boingo, his Oscar-winning work as a film composer, or...
Kanye West’s X account reinstated after antisemitism suspension
X, formerly Twitter, has reinstated Kanye West’s account after he was suspended eight months for a series of antisemitic posts. West, whose legal name is now Ye, had not sent any new posts as of Sunday afternoon. The “All of the Lights” artist, 46, assured X executives he would not...
Q&A: Janelle Monae talks about freedom, how new album defines her and getting ready to tour again
LOS ANGELES — If you believe Janelle Monae’s hyper-sexual expression is a front, think again. These days, Monae is unapologetically living her truth in a bold manner while trying to avoid negativity. The star, once known for sporting custom-made suits, has shed that attire (at least for now) to nearly...
